Good News Friday

[handful_ofdust]

First off, in this amazing Book Smugglers entry, I get on somebody's Christmas recommendations list. Since there's only two other entries, that's particularly chuffing...oh, and I guess and the review's pretty good as well, what with comparing my writing to opium and aphrodisiacs, and all.;) Find it here (http://thebooksmugglers.com/2010/12/smugglivus-2010-guest-blogger-harry-of-temple-library-reviews.html).

In other news, I've also been nominated for a DarkScribe Black Quill award in the Small Press Chill category, here (http://www.darkscribemagazine.com/4th-annual-bqa-nominees/2010/12/2/and-the-nominees-are.html). Note fellow CZPer and generally great-ass writer P.G. Tremblay being similarly represented, in the collection category! We publish good book, people.

Otherwise, I'm still blazing my way through Avatar: The Last Airbender (I'm now on Disc One of Fire), and feeling...okay, if not spectacular. Sort of sweaty and odd, but blessedly awake, even after getting up at 5:00 A.M. because my back was hurting. I've done a bunch of chores and am still making lists. Picked up The Velvet Vampire yesterday. Oh, and I'm feeling a bit bad about having apparently "made" various people see Centurion, especially after their reviews proved so negative, but eh (shrugs): To each their own. It's always possible I see things in stuff that other people don't see, and vice versa--for example, I really do not think the undercurrent of the film is "oh noes, the poor Romans, getting fucked over by those lousy Picts [just because they fucked them over first]! Those blue-painted meanies!" Still--can't prove it one way or the other, unless we call up Neil Marshall...and as I recall, in this SJ-jargon-inflected world, authorial intent does't matter anyhow, so maybe even that wouldn't necessarily help.;))

Now it's off to Flickr, to upload some new Cal photos. And man, now that Rope's in bed, I absolutely do need to start updating Music at Midnight again; May's on its way, after all. Like everything.

Comments

[intertribal.livejournal.com]

Also, I applaud you for having the stones to write that kind of story. I think people have a gut-reaction to any instance of rape in fiction that makes it extremely difficult to get a story like that out and into people's brains as you intend it. I'm still debating whether or not to take that path with my novel's protagonist (and believe me when I say it would be worse than what I gather you did with "Sent Down") - I really feel the need to because I'm trying to make a point that I think is important - but I also know it's the kind of thing that many people just will not tolerate. I mean, I feel like I would be shooting myself in the foot in re: readership. Or even publication.

[handful-ofdust.livejournal.com]

I could always send you the story and you could say how you saw it, I guess...I mean, it goes by pretty quick, and it's not like watching Irreversible, or anything. More an institutional facet of Roman occupation, than anything else. But I will say that one way or the other, it didn't stop me from getting published; I placed it the first time I sent it out.

[intertribal.livejournal.com]

It isn't something that gets my hackles up in general (obviously - although I don't think I could handle Irreversible, b/c visuals affect me more) so I doubt I would react badly. But I'm always happy to read anything you've written.

And that is good to know, about the publication.

[moon-custafer.livejournal.com]

It's been a few years since I read it, but there was also some implication, at least in my reading, that the priestess and her goddess had allowed the rape in order to lure the protagonist into their trap (which is pretty much in character for the gods); but then I'm also twistedly optimistic/romantic enough to read his eventual fate as a fortunate one.